Author’s Choice with Victoria Zackheim

Please welcome Victoria to Author’s Choice.

Dear readers, here’s where you get to play along. The author will tell us two truths and one lie (ed comment –I randomized the order). At the end of the questions, we’ll reveal what really happened. Remember, we write crime fiction, so lying is in our nature . . .

Two Truths, One Lie

Truth or Lie? I think of AI as a blessing.

Truth or Lie? I fear how quickly time is passing… I have books to write!

Truth or Lie? I’m obsessive about editing.

Eight Quick Questions

Now for some fun insight into today’s author. Here are eight forced choice questions.

1.          First draft: longhand, keyboard, or dictation? Always keyboard. After so many books and years, I’m quite sure that my brain resides in my fingers.

2.          Editing as you go, or vomit draft first and fix it later? I edit as I go, but I’m trying to change to vomiting!

3.          Writing snack: sweet, salty, or "I forget to eat"? If not dark chocolate, then starvation.

4.          Character names: meticulously researched, stolen from real life, or whatever sounds right? All of the above…but whatever I decide, the names almost always change.

5.          Writer's block: push through, step away, or "it's not real"? Not real… I always create an outline.

6.          Social media for authors: necessary evil, genuine fun, or absolutely not? EVIL!!!

7.          Deadline approaching: calm and prepared, thriving on adrenaline, or full panic mode? Definitely adrenaline. Calm? I wish!

8.          Book launch day: celebrate big, feel quiet relief, or hide under the covers? Definitely relief to have it real.

About the Book

Enough about you, let’s turn to three questions about your book.

Q: If your main character in this novel showed up at your door right now, what would be the first thing they'd say to you (and would it be a complaint)?

A. Aria Nevins, from my Aria Nevins/Noah Roche mystery series, would say, “Really? You had to make me responsible for someone’s death?”

Q: What's one thing you hope readers take away from this book?

A. That they were engaged and entertained.

Q: What question did you want me to ask, and what is your answer? 

A. Now that you’re in your eighties, how is that affecting your writing and your productivity? The word “posthumous” has become a recurring thought! After seven anthologies, I wasn’t sure if there would be more opportunities. But everything fell into place and I’m having four novels published in three years. Exciting? Thrilling? Exhausting? Yes to all, and in the most wonderful ways.

The Big Reveal

Now let’s see how good a sleuth (or guesser) our readers are. Please reveal all.

The lie is my love of AI.

Yes, I’m obsessive about editing, and often force myself to step back. When we write on computers, editing is too easy and we can inadvertently edit the heart out of a story. And the passage of time is my enemy. Who thinks of it when we’re forty? But hit the eighties and it can feel like a sword hovering overhead.

Here’s a blurb for and some links where you can find Victoria's first novel in a new series:

Book Blurbs for The Curtain Falls in Paris

The setting, Paris theatre, is sharp and real. The crime is dramatic, and the resolution even more so. But above all, I care about the characters and watching their relationships grow. Anne Perry, International Bestselling Author. 

I loved The Curtain Falls in Paris. From the enigmatic Chief Inspector Noah Roche and his nemesis, American journalist Aria Nevins, to the rich descriptions of Paris, a glorious old theater and a grisly murder backstage, reading this novel was like the joy of watching a play unfold. Zackheim’s writing is vivid, passionate and always entertaining.  Robert Dugoni, New York Times Best Selling Author of The Tracy Crosswhite Series.

Zackheim spins a fascinating tale of mystery in THE CURTAIN FALLS IN PARIS! Her depiction of Paris and the theatre make the setting come alive in this must-read work!  Charles Todd, New York Times Best Selling Author of the Inspector Rutledge Series and Bess Crawford Series

[Author's Website]       [Amazon]       [Book Passage Bookstore]

Want to know more?

For more information about Victoria Zackheim www.victoriazackheim.com